Clearing after a Snow in the Pines (Matsu no yukibare)
by Kawase Hasui
- Date:
- August 1929
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
by Kawase Hasui
Snow scenes represent Hasui's most valuable and technically innovative subject category — he developed specialized carving techniques specifically for depicting falling snow. These subjects carry a consistent 30–50% premium over comparable non-snow designs. Evening Snow at Kambara (a landmark design) achieved $7,200 at Tokyo auction (2024) for a Taisho-era impression. Pine Trees After Snow (first/limited edition) sold for $4,300 at Artelino (2021). Winter Moon over Toyama Moor, combining snow and night effects, reached $3,600 (2022). Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.
Clearing after a Snow in the Pines (Matsu no yukibare), published in August 1929, depicts pine trees in clear weather following a snowfall — the snow still weighing on the dark pine needles, branches bent under the white load, against a sky that has opened to brilliant clarity after the storm. The matsu no yukibare subject — pine clearing after snow — was a classical Japanese aesthetic motif combining the pine's symbolic resilience with the dramatic contrast between fresh snow and clear blue sky. The August 1929 release date for a snow subject indicates Hasui's winter print production schedule, with some prints released months after depiction.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Clearing after a Snow in the Pines (Matsu no yukibare) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in August 1929.
Clearing after a Snow in the Pines (Matsu no yukibare) uses Bokashi, on color woodblock print.
Clearing after a Snow in the Pines (Matsu no yukibare) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (August 1929).
Clearing after a Snow in the Pines (Matsu no yukibare) depicts snow scenes.
